Negative Pressure Aerosol Mitigation Device for Healthcare Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Healthcare providers are at risk of respiratory infections due to aerosolization and droplet transmission of pathogens from patients, especially during pandemics when PPE is scarce and environmental contamination is high.
Innovation Solution
The development of a negative pressure aerosolization mitigation (NPAM) device that creates a contained negative pressure environment around a patient using an inflatable strut system and a transparent barrier, reducing aerosolization and droplet transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If PPE is used to mitigate transmission, then protection of healthcare providers is improved, but PPE availability deteriorates during pandemics when sourcing is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the containment function from PPE and relocates it to the patient care environment through negative pressure aerosolization mitigation devices. The NPAM device creates a controlled negative pressure zone around the patient, extracting the pathogen containment function from provider PPE and placing it in the environmental control system instead.
Solution Approach 2:
The NPAM device acts as an intermediary between the patient and healthcare providers. Rather than relying solely on provider PPE as the barrier, the device creates an intermediate negative pressure environment that captures and contains aerosols at their source, serving as a mediator that protects providers without requiring them to wear extensive PPE.
2Reliability
If PPE is worn to prevent transmission, then provider protection is improved, but contamination of surfaces and environments is not prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The NPAM device applies preliminary anti-action by capturing aerosols and droplets at their source before they can disperse into the environment or contaminate surfaces. The negative pressure field actively draws airborne pathogens toward collection points, preventing their spread to surfaces and the broader environment before contamination can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The device converts the harmful dispersal of aerosols into a beneficial containment process. By using negative pressure to draw aerosols toward collection points, the system transforms the potentially harmful random dispersion of pathogens into a controlled flow toward safe containment, turning the harmful aerosol generation into a manageable flow pattern.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If negative pressure environment is created to contain patients, then aerosolization mitigation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The NPAM system is segmented into modular functional components: negative pressure generation units, transparent barrier sections, access ports, and sealing mechanisms. This segmentation allows the complex function of aerosol containment to be divided into manageable modules that can be independently configured and maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent barrier of the NPAM device uses flexible thin film materials that can be easily sealed and configured around patients. These flexible barriers simplify the overall structure compared to rigid containment chambers, allowing the complex negative pressure function to be achieved with simpler, more adaptable materials.
4Illumination intensity
If transparent barrier is used to enclose patient, then visibility for care is improved, but sealing effectiveness may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent barrier system uses composite construction combining transparent materials with integrated sealing layers and rigid frame structures. This composite approach maintains optical clarity for visibility while incorporating multiple functional layers that ensure effective sealing at the interfaces between the transparent barrier and the patient environment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The NPAM device effectively reduces the risk of aerosolization and droplet transmission, providing a safer environment for healthcare providers by containing pathogens within the negative pressure environment, thus reducing the need for extensive PPE usage and environmental contamination.
Implementation Method 1
a negative pressure channel configured to be coupled to a source of negative pressure, and an access port configured to provide a flow limited passageway through the transparent barrier into the volume around the patient when the inflatable strut system is in an inflated state. The negative pressure can be generated in the volume around the patient in response to the application of the source of negative pressure.
Data Source
AI summary
An aerosolization mitigation device is provided. The aerosolization mitigation device can include a negative pressure aerosolization mitigation system. A transparent barrier can form a frame of the system, and a negative pressure can be generated in the internal volume. The device can isolate a patient to allow ambulatory, surgical, and routine care to proceed during periods of higher patient volume or viral transmission. The negative pressure environment mitigates viral transmission to protect healthcare providers and others in the vicinity of the patient from health risks during patient care.